ALTAF HUSSAIN WINS MASSIVE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
KARACHI JUNE 11--- The founder leader of Muttahida Quami movement Mr. Altaf Hussain won afresh vote of confidence when a massive assembly of MQM workers and supporters rejected suggestions to allow him to retire from party leadership.
The suggestion came from Mr Hussain himself when he lauding the party cadres support for him for 29 years, volunteered to let them pick a some one else for organisational guidance.
"No, No", "disapprove, disapprove" chanted the charged crowd at the Jinnah Ground bedecked with banners, bunting, and flags for the 29th anniversary of the APMSO, party's student wing, founded in 1978.
Altaf Hussain said he was proud of his colleagues, who despite enormous hardships, state repression, torture, and killings, held on to principle stand of the party and have remained loyal to him throughout.
Mr Hussain said that throughout his life he had never aspired for any office, not even a parliamentary seat for himself. His sole desire and mission so far has been and will remain till the last breath to serve the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed people so that their life style could change for the better.
An uproar of applaud rented the air which when viewed in the context of May 12 mayhem assumed new dimension to MQM politics, considered to be on the wane after the unfortunate incident.
Mr Hussain remarked that the incident of May 12 was a well thought out conspiracy not only against MQM, but against the entire country and its people. Those involved in hatching it, wanted to wipe off a party which had introduced a new thinking and philosophy to the concept of politics in Pakistan, and had invited an avalanche, unbridled criticism from those opposed to progress and development.
He felt happy that all those living in Karachi, irrespective of their caste, creed, ethnic, cultural or religious affiliation had withstood the test of time, bread the crisis with remarkable commitment. Urdu speaking, puhstoons, punjabis, balochs, Kashmiris, sindhis, seraikis, and all those making Karachi or Sindh their permanent abode for them and their families, had remained loyal to the party, and dismissed with disdain the designs hatched to divide them and make them succumb to machinations of manipulators.
Mr Hussain also appealed to the Indian leadership to show flexibility and respond positively to gestures of goodwill shown by the Pakistani leadership in Islamabad from time to time for peace in the subcontinent,.
Wars, he said, solved no problems. India and Pakistan should therefore solve their problems with a sense of sincerity to ensure peace and progress for their suffering population. Likewise, he demanded that SAARC states, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Iran, Afghanistan etc should learn from unity of the European Union, and if possible should have one currency. The leaders of these countries should sit together and chalk out a strategy for peace and progress for the welfare of people of the region.
He said that Allama Iqbal was the poet of the world, and should not be portrayed as poet of the east or of a particular province. Likewise, he called for following the preaching of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, G M Syed, Rehman Baba and Bacha Khan who gave a message of universal brotherhood.
He said that MQM wanted nothing but Pakistan to be a welfare state, where every one, including minorities and womenfolk’s should have equal rights. He demanded that concurrent list should be abolished from the country's Constitution to ensure provincial autonomy and provinces control of their rights and resources.
ALTAF HUSSAIN ASKS PRESIDENT, PM AND FEDERAL CABINET
TO ENSURE EFFICIENT WORKING OF KESC OR TAKE IT OVER
KARACHI JUNE 11-- Addressing a huge gathering of party workers and supporters, at the 29th anniversary of APMSO, founder leader of Muttahida Quami Movement Mr. Altaf Hussain demanded President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and the federal cabinet to set things right at KESC or take it back from the private sector.
People of Karachi, and people are elsewhere in the country are fed up with the working of KESC and WAPDA. Suffering enormously from their inefficient handling of power generation and distribution. The government should ensure relief to the people.
In Karachi, and elsewhere in the country, frequent power outages had made life miserable for the people. They needed redressal of their grievances. The President, and the Prime minister should take measures to set things right, he said.